Coffee roaster



`nme 26, V1923,

C. M. NEVIUS l COFFEE RoAsTER Filed Sent. 8.1922

Inventor Patented .lune 26,1923.

STATS corran nons'rnn.

Application led September 8, 1922. Serial No. 586,880.

To all whom it may concern: p

Be it known that ll, CoNDIoT M. Nevins, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hor-nell, in the county of Steuben and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful, Improvements in Coii'ee Roasters;

and All do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in theart towhich it ap-pertains to make and use the same. f

One object of the present invention is to produce a coiee-roaster inwhich heat may be effectively, and economically appliedpto the coffee,and particularly in which electric. heaters may be used with advantage.To this end it is proposed to so arrange the roaster that the cott'ee isheld in a continuous series of pockets or receptacles, entirelysurrounding the heating devices, so that all of the heat radiated fromthe latter will be effective in heating the cqliee. ln order that theeii'ect may be made uniform on all parts of the coffee, these pocketsare moved continuously around the heaters, and for convenience infilling and emptying them they are formed with open outer sides, theco'ee being retained within them b a closely ,fitting' housing withinwhich t e pockets are moved. l ther features ofthe invention re. sideincertain details of construction of this housing which will be setforth hereinafter.

Another object of the invention is to proets or receptacles for thecodec. The ends of the pockets at the rear end of the drum.

are closed by a head fixed to the drum, While thev pockets are closed attheirvforward ends by a flange 12 on the drum.` The head' and the angeare provided 'with outwardly-.turned lips 11 and 13 which bear closelyagainst the inner shell 6 of the housing, and the outer ed es of thewalls 9 also bear against the shel so that the coee is closely-confinedin the several pockets. The ends of the housing are closed by heads 11iand 15, and the housing is supported by a frame '16 attached to theheads and rising from a base 17.

In order to insure that there shall always mean y be a close bearingbetween the rotary carrier and the shell. 6, it is -desirable to providean adjustment of the latter to compensate for wear or for inaccuracy inmanufacture. The shell is therefore made in two parts, and the lowerendA of one part is attached to a crossbar 18 of the frame, while theupper end is attached to a segmentally curved bar 19 which is pivotallymounted at its ends. By means of an arm 20 at one end of the har 19, anda swivel-bolt 21 attached to the arm, the bar may be rocked so as todraw the iexible sheet-metal of the shell more or less ti htly aroundthe periphe of the carrier. T elother part of the shrill supported andadjusted.

The coffee is introduced into the machine 6 is similarly vide, in asimple manner, for the removal through a hopper 22, provided with acover of smoke p-roduced during the roasting op- 23. Itis removed, afterthe roasting is iincombine the roasting-apparatus with a pneumaticcooler and elevator' as to utilize the suction of the latter to withdrawthe smoke from the successive pockets of the roaster as they pass acertain pointin 'the machine.

A1n the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is asectional side-elevation of acoiee-roaster embodyin the present invention; and'Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection on the line2-2in Figjl. l y' f yThe invention isAillustrated'gas embodied in a machine in whichthe housing has agenerally cylindrical lform and comprises an outer shell5 a d an innershell 6, with A a layer of heat-in lrlating materialf" interposed.Within e houslng'is a carrier of nerally cylindrical form, comprising arum'8, from which a series of longitudinal* partitions or walls 9Yroject radiallyso as toproduce, between t em, a series. of pock- `drum8.

shaft-25Ywhich is .iournalled inthe frame 16,.

'while the forward end ofthe carrier is supportedl by rollers 2,6.mounted on the frame and engaging the inner surface of 4the The fronthead with a-j'fcentral opening, which is normally closed "by aremovabley cover 2'?. This cover serves as a :support for the heatingmeans,

which are shown as elongated4 electric heating elements 28, providedlwith external binding-posts 29 by whichthey maybe'connected with asuitable source 'of current.'

This arrangement. affords great convenience -1n inspectmg' or repairingthe heating means 15 of the housing is made eration, and tothis end itis proposed to so ished, through a door 2li. This door is norits ilo

when necessary, while the housing normally ils tightly closed topreventthe escape of eat'. i

To prevent grains of coffee from being crushed in case they becomecaught between.l one of the walls.9 and the side' of the hopper 22,thehop'per is provided with a yielding lip inthe form of a brush 49,made of stii bristles or wires, which will yield and prevent anyjamming'at this point.

The roasting means just described are combined with pneumatic coolingand elevating means. At the bottom of the machine lis a hopper 30arranged to receive the coffee when .discharged by opening' the door 24,the door serving,when open, as a chute to direct the coffee into thehopper.v The hopper has perforations to permit the escape of smallstones or other foreign matter Vwhich may be mixed' with the coffee. Aneumatic suction-pipe 37 rises from the opper, and its re-curved `upper'end dis` charges into anair-tight collector 32. Air is Withdrawn fromthe collector, through a pipe 34, by a blower 35, which is driven by anelectric motor 36. The coffee iri the hop'- per 30 'is raised by thecurrent of air produced in the suction-pipe 37 by the action of theblower, and the co'ee collects in the collector and may be withdrawn-therefrom through a spout 39 controlled by a valve 40. e .The motor 36is utilized also as a source of power to actuate the rotary member ofthe` roaster, 4For' this purpose the motor-shaft is provided with a worm41` which drives -aworm-wheel on the upper end of a shaft 43. A worm 44on the lower endof the shaftV 43 drives a worm-wheel 45 fixed on.A

the shaft 25, and thus rotates this shaft, and

the drum a8, constantly during'the roasting*` engaging the outer edgesof operation. Y V

InbrderL to drawoff the smoke reduced inA roasting the coffee, the inners ell 6 of i lthe housing is provided with small'perforations 46 ata'point adj'acexit the suction-pipe 37 lwhich communicates with .anopening 1n` the side 'of the i e. This connection is controlled. by a siing valve .47 ,operated by a handle 48. This valve may be closed when.coffee is being raised from the hopper 730, but when it is open thesmoke is withdrawn from each pocket of the carrier as it' rotates pastthe openings 46.

When coffee isgto be roasted in this machine, the several pockets of thecarrier are lled in tdrn, through. the hopper 22, 'and the cover 23 isclosed and the motor allowed vto'impart a' continuous slow rotation tothe v carrier for the p riod necessary. The heat radiated from theelectric heaters 28 passes readily through the thinsheet-metal of the l-the rotation of the carrier causes' each pocket in turn to be emptiedinto the hop )er 30. fromy which the coffee' is at once..raise to thecollectory 32, in the manner alread described.

While the endless carrier has been shown, for simplicity ofconstruction, as origid cylindrical form, it is not limited to thisform,and, in general, the invention is not limited tothe details of form andvarrangement of the illustrated embodiment, but may be embodied invarious otherl forms` within the spirit of the invention and the scopeof receptac es or coffee; a housing closely em-l' bracing the carrierand constituting normally a closure-for all of the receptacles,

but provided with openings for the; introduction and removal of' thecoffee and stationar radiant heatingmeans located within an embraced bythe carrier so asto heatV all parts of the carrier'simultaneously.

2.l A-'co'ee-roaster comprising: a gener' ally-cylindrical rotarycarrier provided with a series of substantially radial walls providingintermediate coffee-receptacles; a sta'- tionary housing .closelyembracing the carrier and having an inner cylindrcal surface walls, saidsurface bein provid d, in art, by a cylindrically curve' flexible metalseet, normally fixed but adjustable longitudinally to secure closeengagement with said walls.

3. A coil'ee-roaster comprising: `a station' ary housing; acontmuouscarrler'movable therein and provided' with a series ofvcoffeereceptacles; a hopperl into which .the roasted coffee isdischargevdfrom the housing; an air-pipe for raising the coffee fromsaid: hopper, means for creating a partial lvacuum within the air-pipe,to cause air and coffee to be drawn into and through it and avalve-controlled passage through the'wallof the housing and lntotheair-pipe, said passage being* sitioned to communicate with thereceptac es of thecarrler successively as the-carr1er moves within thehousing.

:ooN-Dror M; NEvIUs'.

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